The campaign, titled “If You See Something, Say
Something,” was originally implemented by New York City’s
Metropolitan Transportation Authority and was later licensed to
the federal agency for its own national program. In the past six
months, the campaign has been promoted in 9,000 federal
buildings nationwide.

“The idea is simple,” Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said at a press conference in Washington. “It’s
asking the American people to be vigilant and to aide local law
enforcement.”

Napolitano wouldn’t say whether there had been a credible
security threat at an NBA or National Hockey League arena in the
past two years.

Homeland Security has a $2.9 million budget to promote the
national campaign. Private businesses including the NBA and the National Football League, which promoted the event at this
month’s Super Bowl in Arlington, Texas, are spending additional
amounts promoting awareness.

“Security is a shared responsibility, underscoring the
importance of identifying and reporting suspicious activity,”
said NBA Commissioner David Stern, who joined Napolitano at the
press conference. “We think sports is a terrific way to send
messages and to get people when they go to events to focus on
this very important message.”

At the All-Star Game at Staples Center on Feb. 20, fans
will see messages on posters, television monitors and ribbon
boards around the arena.

The game will start at 8 p.m. New York time and will be
televised on Time Warner Inc.’s TNT network.